1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manually operated cutting device for cutting stones, concrete or the like and including a cutting element formed of a rotatable ring-shaped support member, and a plurality of cutting bodies cooperating at least with a portion of the circumference of the support member.
2. Description of the Prior Art
European Publication EP-0060971 discloses a manually operated cutting device for cutting stones, concrete and the like. The cutting device includes a cutting element which is formed of a support member and a plurality of cutting bodies uniformly distributed over the circumference of the support member. The ring-shaped support member cooperates with appropriate drive and guide elements located outside of the rotational center of the ring-shaped support member. This cutting element permits to achieve rather large cut depths.
The costs of the known cutting device are very high because its manufacture involves several, following one another, manufacturing stages. At the first stage, the ring-shaped support member is formed. Providing of the cutting bodies on the circumference of the support member is effected in a second stage. Balancing of the cutting element is effected in a third stage.
When the cutting bodies of this cutting element wore off, the entire cutting element need be replaced. To remove the cutting element from the cutting device and/or for disconnecting it from the driving wheel and the guide rollers, at least one guide roller should be displaced with an appropriate tool to displace the support member relative to the driving wheel and other guide roller(s) to be able to remove the cutting element. The mounting of the replacing cutting element is effected in a reverse order. When displacing the previously displaced guide roller into its initial position, care should be taken to prevent any jamming or a noticeable clearance between the displaced guide roller and the support body. In addition to the high costs of the cutting device itself, the costs of mounting and dismounting of the cutting element negatively affect the economy of using this cutting device.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a manually operated cutting device which can be economically produced, which would have a high cutting output, and in which the cutting element can be quickly and easily replaced.